FriendStory: Our Heaven
by Thelodius
Summary: At the request of her parents, Orchid is to attend Shinsoo International as a full-time student for her last year. It would be an understatement to say that she is adverse to such an idea. But as time progresses, she realizes that things may not be as bad as she first made out. FrancisXOrchid
1. Chapter 1

(Author's Note) Hey guys! This is my first fanfic, so any constructive criticism that you can give me on how to improve the writing of the characters or my overall writing style would be greatly appreciated! Anyways, enjoy reading "Our Heaven"!

* * *

Our Heaven

Throughout time, human interaction has produced thousands upon thousands of interesting stories. Such stories become an important piece in the fabric of many societies, and to many people such stories define who they are. Some can be mundane to say the least, like the story of four men drinking in the alley most afternoons, or completely unbelievable but true, like the story of how one person, with some help from the world's most notorious villainess, managed to save an entire continent from a mad scientist's dream. No matter the story's content, it is from these stories that we create new ones, and it is during that process that history is written.

Enough of the opening monologues, then! This story, which is still an ongoing work in progress, is one categorized as a young boy's maturing in the world around him, a young girl's acceptance of such world, and ultimately, how these two people find solace in each other.

Where does this story start off again?...Ah, right! Seoul, South Korea. A warm 29 degrees Celsius and a mildly cloudy day reflected Mid-August's moderately warm but not overbearingly hot weather, and subtle hint at the yet colder, and considerably much harsher weather that would soon follow suit. The sun, although partially blocked out by the clouds, shined down on the city below. The skyscrapers and multi-level apartment buildings, which stood tall like ever-vigilant sentinels, towered over the populace of the city. A car horn here and there, a collection of children playing some games in a park, and of course-

"I have to do WHAT now?!"

-Orchid, a quickly rising star and perhaps South Korea's newest sweetheart, shrieking at the CEO of Black Wings Entertainment Inc., for another request that he most likely meekly made due to Orchid's hysteric attitude to change anything about her style. Her assigned subordinates usually had to remain aloof at all times, lest they wanted to wrath and inevitable tirade of "I can't even" rants.

Today, however, was a different story. The CEO, instead of sitting somewhat farther and looking extremely meek, meeker than Meek Mill when Drake dropped "Back to Back", sat up straight in his leather chair. His hands were neatly folded in front of him, and the expression on his face spoke finality about his decision.

"It is exactly like I said, Orchid. At the request of both Black Wings Entertainment and your family, you are to spend your last year at Shinsoo International as a full time student, and take a break from your TV persona and singing career." He firmly explained.

Orchid disdainfully scoffed. As a wildly successful pop star and national icon, the last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by more people who regarded her as nothing more than what she was on the screen. Not that the attention and the perks that came with her title were bad…it was only when the attention became overbearing did she really regret being so famous.

"Alright, old man, let's say I actually DON'T follow through with this zany request of yours. What then?" Orchid challenged.

The CEO bristled at her calling him "old", but regained his composure in a blink. "Well, I, and when I say I mean the Black Wings, can't really do anything-"

At this Orchid got up and walked towards the door, pulling out her iMaple phone and opening InstantStory as she had done so many times when she was bored. "Good. I don't want to hear any such propositions again." She had almost grasped the door handle when the CEO interrupted her. "I wasn't finished explaining, Orchid."

Huffing half out of routine and half out of extreme exasperation, Orchid turned around and walked back to her seat, making an extra effort to make a sound when she fell back into her seat. "What?"

The CEO adjusted his rectangular glasses and leaned forward, his face serious. "It's true the Black Wings can't do anything to keep you in school. Any effort that we made to force you would most likely be met with bad press. But…" He leaned forward a smidge. "We can terminate your contract."

At this, Orchid looked up. Any hint of annoyance or boredom on her face was gone. She stood up, slammed her hands on the CEO's desk. Her now furious face was practically two inches from the CEO's. "Wh-wh-ho?!..." After flubbing her words, she finally gained her composure. "You can't do that!"

The CEO smirked, and sank back down into his seat, satisfied with her reaction. "If you recall when we signed you, the contract stated that we can relieve you in the event that we deem it necessary, or when you act in contrast to the interests of the company. If you've conversed with any off the other stars we've signed about this, I'm sure they'd say those are fair terms." Orchid opened her mouth in order to argue, then closed it almost as quickly – in all due respect, the Black Wings had been fair in how they had treated her and many other stars.

The CEO motioned for Orchid to sit again, which she reluctantly. He sighed, his expression softening to one of sympathy. "I know you want to be out there on the road touring and what not, but your parents made an extremely convincing case to me. They value your education and your social interactions even more. This career really has taken a significant part of your childhood from you, and to be honest, I'm sorry. That's why I want you to take a year off to focus on your studies. Besides, it'll be your last school year. Don't you at least want to see your friends again?"

Orchid pursed her lips in order to hide a grimace and thought. Friends? Other than that weird transfer student who was there for her cathartic confession at the playground that one evening, she didn't have any other friends per say. There was Cassandra, the school's chatterbox and part-time fortune teller, but other than that she didn't associate with anybody else. There was Cygnus, her dogged follower Neinheart, and her little posse of friends, the legions of fan she had to encounter daily at Shinsoo, and…ugh, that clueless weirdo _Francis_. It had been nearly half a year since she told him why he couldn't be with her, and he still didn't get the message. "Yeah, I want to see my…friends, again." She replied somewhat tersely after some pensive moments.

If there were any signs that he didn't completely buy her answer, the CEO didn't show it. In any case, he cleared his throat. "You'll still be paid in your monthly allowances, as per the contract. Any money you make on the side is 100 percent yours to keep." Orchid simply nodded, her face showing no sign of her overwhelmed mind.

At last, he waved her away. "You can leave now." With a forceful "humph", Orchid stood up, walking to the door. As she opened the door, the CEO called out to her: "I hope you'll appreciate this decision, Orchid."

Her reply "I don't." was about as quick as her slamming of the door. With a brisk pace, she walked to the elevator at the end of the hall. On the walls were various memorabilia that signified when Black Wings stars had caught the nation's and even the world's attention. Some of the memorabilia were those of Orchid: interviews with important news stations, various photos of nationwide tours in South Korea and Japan, and even her visiting the DMZ while making a peace sign to the northern side. Orchid ignored all of it: she was in no mood to revel in her achievements, nor did she ever want to. What difference did any of it ever make to her?

Finally reaching the elevator, Orchid quickly entered and literally punched the button for the first floor. As the doors closed with a slight hiss, Orchid leaned against a railing. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. A whole uninterrupted school year? The very thought of it made her nauseous. _"Well, at least it isn't an extremely populated school, so I won't be COMPLETELY swarmed…"_ she thought. She sighed. _"I suppose it won't be the worst thing I'll the have to endure. I guess it'd be best if I made some school preparations."_

Orchid opened her contact list and made a phone call. "…Manager, it's me. Pick me up, we're going shopping." She ordered. "Put all of it on my card. I'll tell you where we're going when you arrive." Without waiting for a response, Orchid ended the call and turned off her phone.

As the elevator doors opened, Orchid walked out, ignoring the good-byes of the desk clerks, and practically shoved open the doors to the building. Her mouth was set in a firm frown. It was not a good day for her, and certainly not for her subordinates, who arrived shortly.

* * *

As he opened the bag for the umpteenth time to make sure if its contents were real, Francis was elated to see that his curiosity was sated for about another 5 minutes.

Inside was a box containing a pristine, 100% worth-the-money, and undeniably kawaii Hatsune Miku Nendoroid.

"Ya-haa! Hatsune-sama, just you wait!" Francis excitedly said to himself. "You'll be up on my shelf with your other sisters! It'll be like a huge Vocaloid family reunion! Ahhhhhh, it's so exciting!" As Francis unknowingly gave one of his best impressions of Gollum, a passing pedestrian took note at his nerdgasm. Feeling slightly concerned, the stranger walked up to Francis and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey." The stranger said. "Hey, buddy, you alright?"

It took a few seconds for Francis to register that there was someone talking to him. "Hahahahahahahaha...haha…ha…oh? Are you talking to me, bro?" He whispered to himself: "I wonder if I was right to add bro at the end...yeah, that was totally cool! He'll totally think I'm his bro now, hehehe…" Francis turned around to fast the stranger.

The first thing Francis noticed about the stranger was his stunningly gray eyes. There was something in those eyes that spoke…power. Something that spoke determination. For what seemed like an elongated period of time, Francis was simply spellbound his eyes. Eventually, the stranger, satisfied that he elicited a response, took a step back. This snapped Francis out of his stupor, allowing him a few extra moments to get a full glimpse at this person's appearance.

The stranger placed his hands in his pockets. He was overall a lanky man, but he was half a head taller than Francis. The somewhat noticeable muscles in his forearms and neck reflected hardened reflexes, and to a certain degree, battle. His jet black hair was unkempt to say the least, as if it were a substance that was shaped by the wind. He loosely wore a white dress shirt, which was not tucked into his black jeans. The collar of his shirt was flipped up, and a loosely worn red tie hung haphazardly. The stranger ground some gravel with his black sneakers, which were covered here and there in dust. The last noteworthy details that Francis observed were the checkered belt and bracelets that the stranger wore. Francis gathered that he must have been some sort of free-runner, like in Assassin's Creed or Mirror's Edge.

The stranger fiddled with one of his bracelets. "It seems like it speaks. You alright there, man? You seemed a little out of it."

Francis raised an eyebrow. "What are you implying? That I'm a looney?" At the prospect of being called crazy, Francis became somewhat irate and shook his head profusely. "No, of course not! I only bought something that is very dear to me, and I was expressing my excitement!"

The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Really? Do you mind if I ask what it is?"

Francis' eyes gleamed. "Of course!" He pulled the figure's box out of the bag to show. "It's a pristine, freshly made Hatsune Miku Nendoroid!" The stranger leaned forward and squinted his eyes in order to examine Francis' new acquisition. Francis suddenly pulled the box back and held it close to him, as is the very presence of someone else's breath could dissolve Miku. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't get your breath all on Hatsune-sama!"

The stranger returned to his normal, relaxed stance. He wore a somewhat amused look on his face. "I gotta say, she is kinda cute. Well, in any case I'm glad you're fine. At least you're not trying to summon up some beasts or something."

"Well of course I wouldn't summon any hellish beasts! I am an eternal warrior of the light, and I'm the best UAC space marine – killing demons and any other hellspawns is basically my specialty!"

The stranger chuckled. "Well, it's good to know that we're on the same side here." All of the sudden, the stranger's eyes widened. "Ah, stupid me, I gotta go meet someone. I'll see you when I see you, dude." At that, the stranger waved good bye, turned around, and went on his way.

For a while, Francis stood there, with his box hugged close to his chest. "Huh…what a weird guy. Something about him is somewhat different." At the sound of a bus horn, Francis was once again snapped out of his own world and brought back into reality. "Oh crap, the bus! Gotta catch it, gotta catch it, gotta catch it!"

Stuffing the box back into the bag, Francis hurried to the bus stop as fast as he could. With a feat of athleticism, he managed to barrel through the closing bus doors and swipe his public transport card, paying the toll for the ride. He barely had enough to sigh in relief before the bus jerked forward, causing him to nearly fall. He managed to grab an open handrail that interrupted his fall and allowed him to get back onto his feet.

Panting heavily from the past half-minute of physical exertion, Francis soon found an open seat and sat down, looking out at the passing scenery of Seoul. Preparing for the somewhat long bus-ride back home, he put some earphones in and put his music playlist on shuffle. A familiar song began playing, and he closed his eyes to, in his mind, make time go faster.

"' _Cause we could be immortals, immortals…"_

" _Just not for long, for long…"_

" _And live with me forever now, and pull the blackout curtains down…"_

" _Just not for long, for long…"_

Francis was jolted from his partial slumber by the sudden _ding!_ of a received email. Pulling out his phone and unlocking it, he paused the song and opened the email. He was somewhat surprised to see had sent the email: Neinheart himself.

 _Dear Francis,_

 _I hope you're looking forward to the new school year. I know it may be weird that this isn't an automated email sent by the Shinsoo servers, but I am writing this to you to let you know of some changes that have been made to your schedule. Your new schedule has been attached along with this e-mail. You would do good to print it out before the school year starts. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your summer break, and know that I, Miss Cygnus, and the rest of our little friend group are excited to see each other and you again for the upcoming school year. Call me or send me an e-mail if you have any questions._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Neinheart_

Francis frowned. Changes in his schedule? He had received his schedule just last week and had already made preparations for his 2nd-year classes. And although he was friends with Cygnus, Neinheart, Hawkeye, and the rest, he was never really that close with them. With a mental shrug, he opened the file that Neinheart had attached.

His brow first furrowed in concentration as he examined the new changes, and his eyes widened in surprise. Most of his 2nd-year classes were now deleted – they were now replaced with 3rd-year classes! With these changes, he was practically a 3rd-year student. So that's what Neinheart meant when he said they were excited to see him again. _"Well, at least my genius is finally being recognized, and recognition is overdue. Maybe this year will be my time to shine."_ Francis thought to him. Indeed, this could be the year he made changes. He would not only be a nerd among nerds – he would be other things, too. He would be a more social, more known person. He would wipe the infamy of being a super nerd from last year away. And finally, he was looking forward to hanging out with the legendary 3rd-years! The thought of Hawkeye, Mihile, and Eckhart grinning when he came around the corner, Oz's bubbly hellos with a freshly opened carton of juice in her hand, Cygnus' radiant smile and Neinheart's tactically heartwarming hello, Cassandra's juicy but obviously false stories, and anytime he and Orchid locked eyes-

 _Orchid._

Suddenly the schedule change held so much more significance. He would be seeing a lot, _a lot_ , more. She would be in his classes. She would be in his eyesight so much more often. She would…she would…

Francis could feel his heart pounding like a war drum in his head. His breath raced, and his hands shaky and sweaty. Dear God, Orchid would be so close to him. _"Alright…alright, calm down! Calm down, heart! Stupid heart, overreacting like that!"_ Francis thought. _"Okay, how did B.J. Blascowicz calm down…right! Count to 4…inhale. Count to 4…exhale. Count to 4…"_ Francis continued to rhythmically breathe until his heart rate slowed to a normal rate. With some difficulty, he shakily shoved his phone back into his pocket.

Sighing, Francis looked outside. This was definitely going to be an interesting change of pace. The last sentence of Neinheart's email echoed through his mind. _"Yeah, I definitely have some questions."_ After some thought, Francis grinned. _"Maybe he anticipated me contacting him. Wouldn't that be funny?"_

After resuming his song, Francis opened a new draft and typed in Neinheart's address.

 _Dear Neinheart,…_

It was a strange day for him so far.


	2. Chapter 2

(Author's Note) Thanks to those who read the first chapter - knowing that you guys are interested in the story keeps me going. Thanks to those that followed, and a shoutout to CherryPuffball for my first ever received review on a story! Thanks a bunch, you guys!

Anyways, this chapter was supposed to be the same length as the first, but it kinda snowballed into something greater :P. As usual, if you're interested follow and/or review, critique the story and/or my writing style, and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Orchid sat in the back of her limousine, looking out the window with a pensive expression on her face. During the past few years of her career, the limo had become something akin to a second home to her. She was familiar with every inside detail that was to be in order every time she entered – a long dark gray rug made up the upholstery, while black sofas lined the sides. To Orchid's right was a minibar, stocked with drinks and refilled every week, regardless of whether or not any bottles or cartons were actually opened. The ceiling was lined with lights that, with the proper remote, could change colors. And of course, the limo was WiFi accessible, which was ultimately vital for her connection to social media. Usually, she would check her phone constantly for any messages, any updates or such on any of her social media sites.

Today was not a usual day, as her phone sat silent next to her. Orchid had already texted her goodbyes to other pop stars she was relatively close to, made a public announcement on the internet about her hiatus, seen the outpours of "Good luck!","We'll miss you!", and the like. No, the last thing she needed right now was to focus on the public's outcry. Now, she only needed time to think about what she was about to do.

And that's exactly where she found herself now – sitting with a pensive expression, looking out the window. The odd times she found herself at school last year were either on important days like finals week or days she simultaneously found time in her busy schedule AND felt like going to school. But this…this year was leagues different. It had been a long time since she was last a full time student, and that was in middle school, too. Orchid sighed. There was no use rationalizing what she was feeling right now.

Orchid was scared, and she knew it.

There was no question that she felt very lonely, and that she had felt this way for a very, very long time. But now, fear was added into the equation. She had forgot what exactly a student's everyday life consisted of, and now she had no choice but to make the changes to fit into that life. That was what scared her – she didn't know what those changes were going to be.

Shinsoo International's clock tower soon came into view. The long and short hands' positioning marked that it was 7:45. _"I wonder if the clock how well the clock is calibrated."_ Orchid thought. To satisfy her curiosity, Orchid checked her phone to see how its' clock compared to Shinsoo's. Her phone read 7:45, then immediately changed to 7:46, so Orchid looked back at the clock tower. 7:46. _"The long hand must have just turned. That's pretty damn good."_ Orchid thought. _"Must have been Ninny. He always emphasizes running a tight ship."_ Orchid smirked at the thought of Neinheart freaking out at even the slightest miscalculation or mistake.

The limo soon came to a stop in a parking lot right next to Shinsoo. Orchid's most commonly summoned subordinate, whom she just called "Manager", got up from his seat opposite to Orchid's. "Miss Orchid, we have arrived."

"I know." She answered dismissively, grabbing her backpack. As if Orchid's answer triggered his cue, Manager shambled to the car door and opened it. He stepped out of the limo, turned back, and took a clearly impatient Orchid's hand to help her step out of the car. "Take my backpack." She commanded, which Manager obeyed wordlessly.

Orchid's attire was not terribly different from last year's, but it was not exactly a carbon copy either. She still wore her tan uniform coat as if it was a cape. The Shinsoo school logo was still attached to the upper part of both coat sleeves, as if the emblems were military unit insignia. She wore a white buttoned up dress shirt with rolled up sleeves along with a red tie, both covered by a brown sweater vest with a Shinsoo button pinned on. Instead of the red skirt she wore last year, Orchid chose to wear a pair of black shorts, as it allowed enough comfort for the tapering summer weather, and it went hand-in-hand with Shinsoo's new clothing regulations. Neinheart and Cygnus had issued a change in dress-code after an intricate prank by one of the students resulted in a great deal of up-skirt shots, and an even greater deal of indignant female students. The perpetrator would not be named, but in order to alleviate some of the anger the female body felt, Neinheart stated that snapbacks were involved. The whole ordeal did not affect Orchid in any way, but she was relieved that she wouldn't have to appear so conservative in her appearance when…IF she came to school. In any case, Orchid finished the outfit with some new black and yellow sneakers she had purchased after her little argument with Black Wings' CEO.

She looked at Shinsoo's clock tower, shining from the early morning's rays, then fished out something hidden inside her shirt and held it in her palm, looking intently at it. It was a small bunny head pendant attached to a simple metal necklace. At the sight of the bunny, Orchid visibly relaxed. "Lotus…" she whispered so faintly even she had trouble hearing his name. After a few more moments, Orchid took a deep breath to steel herself. "Alright…alright, you can do this." She said to herself, hastily stuffing the pendant back into her shirt. Without another word, Orchid began walking towards Shinsoo's entrance. Manager followed her at a reasonable distance.

When Orchid had reached the front of Shinsoo, what she saw shocked her. The student body had prepared a small outdoor party in front courtyard in celebration of the beginning of the school year. Some students were cooking breakfast for any who came up and asked for it, and others were using their personal talents to put on a show. Some put on an acrobatics show, others were displaying their musical talents, others still doing artwork commissions. Out of the corner of her eye, Orchid could see Cassandra giving students giving other students readings on…well what she was giving readings on Orchid didn't know, because she wasn't in the immediate vicinity, nor did she care. Finally, she noticed Cygnus and Neinheart in front of the school entrance shaking hands with some of the students. Wanting to finish the day as quickly as possible, Orchid irritably walked to the entrance.

"…good to see you again after all that happened last year. Once again, I'm sorry for the sudden changes." Neinheart was chatting with a student that had their back turned to Orchid. Orchid, irritated that these two were blocking the way, crossed her arms. _"Fine, Ninny, I can wait. I can wait."_

"I'll admit, it was a bit of a pain to get the summer work done last minute. Not to worry, though, I've got everything done." Orchid's ears perked up at the sound of the voice. It sounded so familiar. Her eyes darted to the student. The voice was somewhat nasally, yet sounded distinctly like a man's. Bah, either way these two were still standing in her way, and what was even more insufferable was that they were taking no note of her.

"Ahem." Orchid cleared her throat. She hated exerting herself for unnecessary reasons.

Neinheart did not take note. "That's great to hear. Allow me to say: welcome to the third years." Oh, so the student was a third year too, huh? Neinheart looked at his watch. "Ah, look at the time. Doesn't it just fly?" The student laughed and nodded in response. "I'd love to talk more, Francis –

…

…

…FRANCIS?!

That creep was a third year?! But he was only a first year last year! Orchid's mind was completely shot.

-but I need to give that new third year – can't remember his name - a tour of the school. It's odd that we'd get a new student so late, but ah well. Anyways, I'll see you later. Don't forget to attend the extracurriculars fair later today." Neinheart mumbled something to Francis, said goodbye, and turned towards Cassandra's booth. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw Orchid.

"Ah. Hello, Orchid. I didn't expect to see you this early." He used his free hand to motion to Francis, a malicious smile on his face. "Would you mind keeping him company?"

Orchid opened her mouth to reply, but by then Neinheart was already walking away. Francis slowly placed something in his pocket and turned towards Orchid, his face already pale.

"…Orchid?"

* * *

Francis leaned on the railing of the overpass that acted as a bridge between the Shinsoo International building itself, and the Shinsoo dorms. He had his hood down and his green hair blew in the cool breeze. The sun had just risen, appearing as a blindingly bright spot in the midst of the waning night. The streets were illuminated with an orange light. The scene reminded him of a highly upvoted image of New York City he saw once.

Francis had moved back into the Shinsoo dorms a week before today – the day that school started again. Although he lived in the suburbs of the city, he decided to stay in the dorms – miraculously, there was no extra charge for a student to stay in the dorm, and he decided that his time at Shinsoo would be good for him now to get used to staying away from his family. So that's what he did. A week ago, he had moved all of his stuff into his dorm room– his PlayStation, PC, posters, furniture, copious amounts of tissue boxes which he challenged himself he would only use for blowing his nose, and other miscellaneous items. He remembered how much work he had to do in order to set up his ideal mancave on his half of the room, and how long and tear-filled his parents' goodbyes. Francis cringed – he could still feel their lung-crushing hugs.

The other half of his room was left relatively empty. He was told that his roommate would move in a few days later, but nobody had come through that door with a needless abundance of stuff like he had. The dorm room was an image of extreme contrast – one half was Francis and all of the items that he had brought to Shinsoo. The other half was completely empty, save for a mattress, a bed, and a desk. Francis hoped that his roommate would come eventually, or else some of his otaku materials from home might 'accidently' crawl through the window and nestle themselves in the empty half of the room.

Francis took a deep breath. He had accidently set his alarm two hours early, and as a result he had woken up way too early. His body had refused to fall asleep, so with a sleepy brain but an energized body he slipped into the first thing he pulled out of his dresser. Now, he was wearing a pair of Vans, olive drab cargo pants, and a hoodie with Fallout: New Vegas decals on it. He wore his uniform coat on top of that. His backpack, filled with school supplies, sat at his feet.

Francis checked the time on his phone – 6:30. Yep, he woke up _way_ too early. _"Lovely."_ He thought. _"I definitely don't feel like making the trip back for a quick match of League, and right now I've got nothing to do."_ Francis rested his head on his arms and watched the passing cars below. He wondered how the highway would look if there was a long-exposure picture shot here.

Something tapped Francis on the left shoulder. "You slaying demons with your mind, or are you just admiring the view?" A voice asked him. Francis looked to his left, and his eyes widened. There stood the stranger that he had met a while ago. He seemed to be wearing the same attire from the day he met Francis, save for a Shinsoo badge pinned to his shirt.

"Youre…you're that guy I met when I got Hatsune Miku, right?" Francis asked.

The stranger cocked his head and smiled. "Yep, that's me."

Francis decided to ask the obvious based on the stranger's current appearance. "So you're going to Shinsoo now?"

"Yeah, I'm a third year here now. Just finished placing my stuff in my dorm room. I gotta tell you, man." The stranger said. He rested his arms on the railing, put his hands together, and looked out onto the highway. "I think my roommate might be an otaku."

Francis scoffed. _"Wait, there's no way he could…could he?"_ "Really now?" he asked. "What did your roomie put up in their half of the room?"

The stranger clicked his tongue and looked up upwards, as if trying to remember a series of things. "Well, there's a bunch of posters, half of em' from anime series or games I've never seen. Then he's got a bunch of League of Legends figures, a really decorated PC…"

Francis was trying his best not to laugh so the stranger could continue talking, but just from the mention of 'posters' his suspicions were confirmed.

"And he's got a bunch of Vocaloid figures, too. He's got a PlayStation-"

He couldn't hold it in anymore. Francis broke out into a fit of laughter, earning the stranger's confusion.

"Hm? What's up?"

It took Francis a while to regain composure. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just…that's my room." Francis chuckled.

The stranger's eyes widened, then a grin broke out. "Dude, no way! That is way beyond crazy, man, seriously." He held up his arm to his side with his arm open, an indicator of the usual hug between bros – the slap the hand, dig your digits into the others' fingers, and pull them towards you for a slap-hug on the back.

Francis gladly followed through with the bro-hug. "Yeah, I know! I've been waiting for my roomie to show up for the past week or so! And just so you know," Francis' face became serious. "Those figures and posters show my dedication to those series! League's got a great story behind it, ripe for fanfiction, and you'd be surprised at how good anime is getting these days! Don't lose your way, man!"

The stranger cracked a grin. "I can get the anime. Kill la Kill was probably one of the better ones I've watched. But the League figures?" He laughed. "What man, do you create your own corny scenarios in which the champs interact?"

Francis blushed out of extreme embarrassment – his newfound friend had just described what he did with those figures. "It's…it keeps the imagination flowing in me! Really!"

The stranger chuckled. "Relax, I'm not judging." The stranger checked the time on his phone. "6:50 right now. Wanna grab some coffee from Maple Cafe? I could use some after moving all of my stuff into the dorm by myself."

Francis weighed his options. _"Continue using my eyes to make a long-exposure picture of the highway, or have coffee with my new friend…yep, coffee."_ Francis nodded, picking up his backpack. "Yep let's go."

The stranger cocked his head at Francis again. "Are your eyes really so good that you can make long-exposure pics with them?"

Francis sweatdropped. "Heheh, no…I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yep."

* * *

Francis looked into his mug and smiled. Using the foam on top of his mug, the barista made a little Baymax face in his coffee. Sitting across from his was his newfound friend, checking his phone and occasionally sipping his coffee.

"Say," Francis began. "you never told me your name."

The stranger put down his phone and turned towards Francis. "Sorry, I was checking a news site." He took another sip. "My name? Well, you could call me…Kinesis."

Francis raised an eyebrow. "Kinesis?"

He nodded. "Mhm. I haven't really been called anything else."

"Huh." Francis put his hands together and rested his chin on top of them. "Do you mind if I call you Kino?"

Kinesis looked at Francis curiously. "Kino?"

"Yeah. I got from Call of Duty's "Kino Der Toten". It means something else in German, but you know, I thought it would be better than Kinesis."

Kinesis took another sip and sighed blissfully. "Ah, that jogs the brain. Yeah, I suppose you can call me Kino. I might start telling people to call me that. What's yours?"

Francis pointed towards his hoodie. "I'm the motherfuckin' Mojave's mailman, protector of Post-War America." Kinesis chuckled at the reference. "Nah, but I'm Francis."

"Right, I'll remember that."

Francis nodded. "So, is there anything you can tell me about yourself?"

Kinesis folded his hands together, put his head on top of them, and closed his eyes. He was obviously deep in thought. At last, he opened his eyes again. "Well, I'm about as normal as anyone can get. Just a normal student, in normal old Seoul. Born and raised here."

"Any hobbies? Hopefully manga or anime?"

"Man, you really are an otaku. Well, if I get time, I browse the internet, play some games, watch some videos, and yes sometimes anime." Kinesis put his coffee down and looked outside at the gradually brightening city. "But what I really enjoy is free-running."

"I figured as much when I first met you." Francis said, and Kinesis looked back at him. "Your clothes are those of a runner, assassin. Not really of a warrior. You're kinda like Ezio or Connor from Assassin's Creed."

Kinesis shook his head. "I have no idea who those two are, but I guess they're cool."

"Cool? You better believe they're more than just 'cool'. Ezio singlehandedly strengthened the European chapter of the Assassin's and traversed Europe to find the Apple of Eden, and Connor was pretty much a founding father of the U.S., with all his help for the Patriots' and what not." Francis retorted, somewhat miffed that Kinesis just brushed off two of gaming's most powerful characters.

Kinesis took another sip of his coffee, his expression blank. "Yep, that all just flew over my head." Kinesis looked back out the window. "Free-running just…it just leaves so much to the imagination. There's so much you can do – run, jump, climb. And you can end up pretty much anywhere. It's just…freedom. Plus, it keeps your body in good shape, so that's a huge plus, too."

Francis intently listened to Kinesis. It sounded like free-runners could explore the world as they wished, like in Fallout or Skyrim. He made a mental note to consider starting free-running.

Kinesis looked at his phone. "7:30. Well, we should get going to school, now." Downing the rest of his coffee, he got up. "Shinsoo's just down the block, right?"

Francis nodded. "Yeah, it is. Let's go." Francis brought his cup to his lips and threw back his head. Not anticipating the amount of coffee that had gone unconsumed, his face and upper body were drenched in lukewarm, pleasantly-smelling coffee. Francis, realizing what had happened far too late, backed up a few steps, holding the cup in front of him.

"Crap, you alright there Francis?" Kinesis took the cup out of Francis' hand, avoiding the large puddle of coffee now on the floor. "Now why'd you have to go and do that?"

Francis coughed up a storm. "Ugh, yeah. Yeah, I…blurgh, yeah I'm fine. Let's go."

Kinesis set Francis' cup on the table and gave Francis a couple of napkins. "Here, wipe your face and neck. You may smell like overpriced coffee, but if don't look like it you won't have crazed basic bitches trying to lick your face off."

Francis blushed at the thought of Orchid seductively licking his neck, the image of her shining purple eyes causing his heart to race. "Yeah, I hear you." He mumbled. Francis hastily wiped his neck and followed Kinesis out of the café.

* * *

"Here we are, Kino. Shinsoo International." Francis said, extending a hand towards the building as if he was making a school presentation and Shinsoo was his personal creation. The sun, which was completely up by now, illuminated Shinsoo and the courtyard in the entrance. Kinesis was left rather speechless by the amount of students who were crowded in the courtyard simply for…

"What is this? Why are all of these people here?" Kinesis asked.

"This is the 'beginning-of-the-year' celebration. Most students usually ask the student council for an opportunity to display some talent, set up a booth, things like that." Francis pointed to a food booth selling noodles and fish cakes. "We have some interesting people, for sure. Over there," he pointed at Cassandra, who was reading fortunes. "is Cassandra. She's pretty much Shinsoo resident psychic. I've asked her a bunch of times for readings on me and Or-Or-or she can also tell you interesting stories." Francis sweatdropped. _"That was a close one."_

Kinesis simply nodded. All of Francis' words had went in one ear and out the other at the mention of 'psychic'. "So, she's a psychic then."

"What? Oh! Yeah, yeah, pretty much."

Kinesis nodded again. "I see." He smirked, then turned towards Francis. "Well, it's been good seeing you again. I hope we have some classes together." He held his hand out to Francis, and they shook hands.

"I'll see you later, man." Francis said, and with that Kinesis made his way to Cassandra, a clever smirk on his face.

Francis was now by himself, in the middle of the courtyard. People were passing him by, all engrossed in their activities. He, however, was looking at Shinsoo itself. The warm illumination that the building seemed to give it a nearly heavenly glow. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again. _"Things will be different this year. I'm sure of it."_ He thought.

"-and I hope that, starting today, you have a good rest of the school year." Francis faced the source of the voice. Cygnus, along with Neinheart, were shaking and saying hello to students. Cygnus, with her usual sunny and charismatic expression, had commanded the respect and attention yet another first-year student. Neinheart stood behind her, silently reading off some lists. Francis walked up to Neinheart and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, but I'm somewhat busy now. If you need to talk to Miss Cygnus or I, get in line." Neinheart replied nonchalantly, not bothering to look up from his papers.

"Neinheart, it's me, Bangabong Chicken radio station." Francis said. Neinheart lowered his papers and looked at him with utter bewilderment.

"Bangabong wha…? Oh, it's you." Neinheart's expression softened. "Apologies, Francis. I thought you were one of the new kids."

"Neinheeeeaaaarrt~" Cygnus said melodically. Neinheart sighed – there was no force on Earth that could make him resist answering that voice.

"Yes, Miss Cygnus?"

"I'm going to follow this one first year to see her group of friends. Would you mind keeping the others company? I'm not going to go far."

"Yes, of course."

"Excellent~" With that, Cygnus floated away to follow one of the first year girls. Neinheart turned back to Francis.

"Now, how can I help you?" His nose wrinkled. "And why do you smell so aromatic?"

Francis sniffed. He did smell like the coffee he had spelled earlier. "I accidently spilled some coffee on myself. Anyways, I thought I'd just come by and say hi. You did say you were looking forward to seeing me in that email."

Neinheart chuckled, and placed his papers in his ledger. It was now that Francis noticed that Neinheart had gotten glasses – they were small and rectangular, and only a half framed pair, with the frame holding the lens by the bottom half. Had he not caught that anime-like glasses-readjusting lens glare, Francis doubted he would have noticed them.

"Yes, I suppose I did. Honestly, you weren't exactly the worst first year to hang out with, and we did enjoy your company, along with that transfer student's. I can't recall their name…either way, you were a good change from Hawkeye – he always wanted to pull some stupid prank – and Eckhart and Mihile's constant fighting. So, it would be nice to have your company again."

Francis raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Tactician, is that an invitation to join your friend group?"

"Unofficially, yes. I'm sorry I don't have a contract and pen in hand for you to sign." Neinheart adjusted his glasses. "So, to cap, it is good to see you again after all that happened last year. Once again, I'm sorry for the sudden changes."

"I'll admit, it was a bit of a pain to get the summer work done last minute. Not to worry, though, I've got everything done." Francis replied. He decided to forego mentioning how much suffering he went through to cram and such for the 1st-day quizzes tomorrow, especially for Arkarium's Advanced Biology class.

There was a small 'ahem' from behind both of them, but neither Neinheart nor Francis believed it was directed at them, and as such they ignored it.

"That's great to hear. Allow me say: welcome to the third years." Neinheart looked up at the clock tower. "Ah, look at the time. Doesn't it just fly?" Francis laughed and nodded – it seemed like yesterday that Neinheart was looking at him while he shook Cygnus' hand as a fresh first-year.

"I'd love to talk more, Francis, but I need to give that new third year – can't remember his name - a tour of the school. It's odd that we'd get a new student so late, but ah well. Anyways, I'll see you later. Don't forget to attend the extracurriculars fair later today." And in a lower voice, Neinheart mumbled, "I sure hope this one isn't a nut case like Damian or that student teacher." They said their goodbyes, and Neinheart began moving towards Cassandra's booth.

Francis pulled his phone out and began browsing MapleBook when he heard Neinheart behind him say: "Ah. Hello, Orchid. I didn't expect to see you this early." There was a slight pause. "Would you mind keeping him company?" Then the progressively lessening sounds of footsteps followed.

...

His heart began to race.

Francis gulped. Knowing his hands were about to becoming extremely sweaty, he carefully placed his phone back into his pocket. He closed his eyes. "Turn. Around. She's just a person." He mouthed to himself. He opened his eyes and nodded slightly. He turned around slowly, and there she was.

Orchid.

He could hear his heart pounding in his head.

ORCHID.

"…Orchid?"


	3. Chapter 3

(Author's Note) Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the new follows and all the views! I didn't expect just two chapters to do this, but I'm glad you all like this story!

I'm sincerely sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I had a general idea of what to write, but it took brainpower and energy, which I didn't have for more than a week. First I had to fly back from China to the US because my vacation in Shanghai ended, then I had to deal with some college related materials (still am). Now, I'm housing some family members who came up to visit, and blargh, it's just been a lot to take in.

It took some time, but after getting over writer's block and getting enough energy I finally churned this chapter out. At first glance, I think it'll have to do for now - more likely than not if I get the chance I'll make some edits to this chapter later on. But for now I figured this is the least I can do for all of you since you've been patient enough to wait.

So, without further ado here is chapter 3! As usual, leave a review, critique the story or anything about my writing style you find good or bad, and if you like the story favorite and follow it!

* * *

August 25th, 2015 - The update came earlier than expected. I fixed some spelling and inconsistencies to make the chapter more streamlined.

* * *

For the first time since his sincere but corny confession to her on the school roof, Francis and Orchid were the closest that they had ever physically been. Yet this time neither of them spoke a word to each other. One reason was neither of them had any idea what to say. Francis didn't say anything because he didn't think to bring a general outline of what he would say to her or a contingency plan of what he would say after she completely brushed him off, and the fact that he didn't have either of those now caught up to him. Orchid didn't say anything not because she didn't have anything to say – she could have roasted him right on the spot and walked off without a second thought – but she didn't know what to say then. She didn't know why she declined to easily insult him, nor believe she would find the reason why. After the initial shock from learning that Francis was a third year, Neinheart had also put her in a bad position, basically forcing her to make conversation. The second reason was that for a fleeting moment, both of them decided to enjoy the silence and just look at each other. That was what Francis rationalized. If he couldn't say anything he would let his eyes do the talking, and he silently thanked his eyes didn't give too much away.

The first thing that caught Francis' attention was Orchid's expression. Her sparkling purple eyes showed no sign of disgust or annoyance, which was a sharp contrast from her usual furrowed-eyebrows, get-away-from-me-you-social-reject stare that she gave him almost every day last year. This time, her eyes seemed to be scanning him, and her mouth, instead of being a disdainful thin line, was slightly open, her mouth partially open, showing only her teeth. This time, Orchid was less judgmental and more curious. Well, that's what Francis thought. At least she wasn't staring lasers at him. But he could sense from the subtle pupil position changes that she was examining him. He wondered whether or not she was wearing lipstick, or if her lips were naturally that hue. He wished he would find out someday.

Orchid scanned Francis. From what she had seen so far he was still in many respects the same nervous, cheesy neckbeard she had dealt with on a daily basis last year. There were a few factors that separated the boy before her now from the boy from last year, most noticeably he didn't have his hood on. She also noticed that his back was somewhat more straight, and quickly deduced that he was possibly from being on edge in front of her. However, due to his lack of a hood, she noticed every facet of his face much more now – how the shape of his face was a mix between a square and a circle, how his eyes barely managed to peek out from his messy bangs, how rosy his cheeks could be sometimes. This was also the first time she had ever even seen his eyes. A small voice inside of Orchid said _"Wow…he's kinda cute without the hood."_ The rest of her inner voice quickly shunned this thought, as it would probably affect her interactions around him which would give him ideas and make him somehow creepier than he already could be. But the more she examined him, the more prevalent the thought became, while the rest of her screamed to look away from this stalker.

As if some heavenly power (or a writer who decided to pick an event to advance the plot) granted her wish, Orchid's phone vibrated. She quickly diverted her eyes to her phone, while Francis coughed. Her eyes flickered over to his direction for a split second to see what his next move was – he had taken out his phone too. Looking back to her phone, she saw that she had received a new email from the Black Wings' CEO. Who sent the letter did make Orchid somewhat worried – was there something he neglected to mention to her? Was she in trouble for something that she did and most likely forgot about? With some hesitation, she opened the email.

 _Dear Black Wings' stars,_

 _It is with great pleasure that we welcome our new signee, Pink Bean! Well, that's the stage name, anyways. Pink Bean is from…_

Orchid sighed in relief inwardly. One of the most unimportant announcements to her was able to distract her from what was possibly one of the weirdest moments she would experience this year. Her mind was still shot from what just happened. Francis, cute? She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in an effort to clear her head. _"With thoughts like these this'll be a hard year, and it hasn't even begun yet."_

Orchid cleared her throat and turned towards Manager, extending her hand towards him. "Give me my backpack. Although she tried to look and sound as authoritative as possible, though both he and Francis heard her voice slightly quiver. He wordlessly placed Orchid's backpack in her hands, his serious expression never leaving his face. In order to avoid looking at Francis, she busied herself with putting the backpack on as long as possible, while not looking completely awkward. At last, Orchid finished fiddling with her backpack.

"You're free to go. Don't be late today." She stated, not bothering to make eye contact with Manager. If her callousness made him even slightly irritated, he did not show it. Manager slowly turned around and walked back to the limo, his golem-like figure sticking out from the throngs of excited high-school students fooling around in the courtyard.

Orchid turned back to Francis. He was still browsing his phone, probably some website only nerds like him would visit. _"He's probably browsing some stupid subreddit."_ She thought to herself. He seemed to be completely occupied, which relieved her – the last thing she wanted was to think he was cute again, and be proven right. She walked past him into Shinsoo, taking care to not initiate eye contact. Her efforts turned out to be useless, as Francis noticed her walking past him.

"Where are you going?" He asked tentatively. Orchid closed her eyes and breathed. The last thing she wanted was him following her around. "I'm going to my locker. I need to put my stuff in it." With that, she briskly walking down the hall.

"Oh, alright. Well, I'll see you…" Francis replied, but she was already a measurable distance away from him. "…later." With a dejected sigh, Francis returned to scrolling through his favorite subreddit. Still, no matter how much he tried to distract himself, he mind kept returning to what had just transpired. He kept replaying their brief conversation, desperately trying to remember her voice from that brief response to his question. She said she needed to go to her locker, to put her stuff in it. She said she needed to go to –

…!

Francis turned his head to see if Orchid was still present. She was nearing the end of the hallway. Maybe, if he made his voice loud enough, he could get her attention. _"I'll have to turn my volume level up to eleven, then."_ He thought.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, Orchid!"

Although she was all the way down the hall, he could swear he heard her sigh. He was pretty sure she sighed really loudly, but since he was on the other side of the school, he had trouble registering what that sound she made was. In any case, Orchid did a quick 180, her hand now on her cocked hip and her face scrunched up in annoyance. "What." She snapped. He smiled. Yep, this was the Orchid he knew.

"You're a 3rd-year now, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "No shit. What's it to you?"

Unfazed, he continued. "You're on the wrong floor. This is the 1st-year floor." He motioned to the stairs on his left. "You need to go up to the third year floor."

Orchid said nothing and continued to glare daggers at Francis. He shivered. Even though he'd seen Orchid angry many times, he doubted he'd get ever get used to it. _"Did I do something wrong? Why is she staring at me like that? Aw crap, she's mad at me! I mean, she's cute when she's angry but she's still scary! Cute, but scary!"_

Orchid's eyes widened and her face turned into a nice red hue, a red so nice it could put the Soviet flag to shame. "Shut the hell up, creeper! And yeah, I knew I had to go to the third floor for 3rd-years but I just…" Silence filled the hallway between them yet again, only disturbed by the ambience of the party outside. Finally, Orchid groaned and stomped towards the stairs. Francis had never seen her face so red – in fact he thought that she was probably blushing more than he could ever be able to, and his face was able to get plenty red. Nevertheless, her sudden change of mood from annoyed to flustered concerned him. Was something wrong? Did he do something wrong?

When Orchid reached the foot of the stairwell, Francis rushed to her side. "Hey, are you okay? You got really flustered all of a…"

Orchid turned sharply, her face and eyes ablaze. "Don't you saaaa-aaaaah!" In the middle of her supposed rant, her foot got caught on one of the step edges, causing her to fall on the steps.

Almost immediately, Francis was by her side, kneeling. "Oh my god, are you okay?!" He reached out his hand in an effort to help her up, but Orchid violently shooed him away as if he were the devil himself. She slowly got up to see if anything was particularly damaged, but nothing was terribly hurt. Although she did wince when she brushed the dust off of her legs. Looking at her legs hesitantly, she saw that her right knee had been scraped pretty badly.

Francis noticed this as well. "Oh god, that looks bad." He grabbed Orchid's arm. "Here, let me take you to the nurse's office. It's the least I can do."

Orchid shook her arm violently, as if Francis' arm was made of spiders. "What are you doing?! Get your hand off of me, creeper! I can get to the nurse's myself!" She knew that last part was a bold faced lie – she didn't even know where her locker was, only the number. After all, she had barely come to school last year.

Francis hung his head, closed his eyes, and sighed. If he wasn't madly in love with her, he would definitely have a lower tolerance for Orchid's attitude. He brought his head back up and looked directly in her eyes. In a blink of an eye, Orchid's anger dissipated, replaced by that same expression that Francis saw earlier, that expression he couldn't really identify because he hadn't seen enough of it. He pursed his lips, in thought, then replied. "I'm pretty sure you don't know where the nurse's office is. I can help you get there. Besides, I have to get to my locker too. And," He gestured to her scraped knee. "I insist. Really, this is the least I can do to make up for your fall."

Orchid had no choice but to shut up. Francis was right on the money on her not knowing where to go, and for some reason his adamancy to take her to the nurse could not be argued with. She took another look at him like she had did a few minutes before. She got about as much information as she did when she last gleaned him over, but she at least knew that this was definitely not the introverted, socially-inept Francis that she had met last year.

Orchid looked away, her stormy face returning. "Fine." She grumbled. "Take me there."

* * *

It was a few minutes before 8:00 when Francis and Orchid reached the nurse's office. Orchid thanked God that the hallways were completely empty. Francis was holding her hand while he guided her through what was to her unfamiliar territory. If even a teacher caught sight of the position they were in, her social life would surely be over. She didn't have much of one to begin with anyways, as she barely socialized with anybody from Shinsoo, but she doubted she could take the rumors, questions, and ridicule from people if they thought her and Francis were an item.

At last they reached the nurse's office on the 4th floor. Francis knocked the door to see if the nurse was in. A muffled, mature-sounding "Come in!" was his reply, so with Orchid's hand still in his he opened the door. Nurse Hilla, the school's recently-made full time nurse, was sitting at her desk, playing with her phone. The morning light gave the room a bright glow, so the lights were turned off. The window was open, so a cool breeze enveloped the room. Both Francis and Orchid could hear the outside world much clearer now, in contrast to the earlier silence in Shinsoo's halls.

No one really knew or expected that Hilla had become a full-time nurse at Shinsoo until Neinheart had sent out one of the weekly newsletter emails, this particular one having a picture of a smiling Hilla on the top of the newsletter. The rest of the newsletter stated that Hilla had made her job full-time because 'she loved working with youth'. There was some truth in that statement, but there were rumors that she had become full-time due to other…social circumstances. In any case, Francis noticed that Hilla had considerably less makeup on than last year. She still had makeup, yes, but it didn't get to the point where her face looked like a Barbie doll. Even more eye-catching was how her eyebrows didn't seem stenciled on, and how he could recognize certain details in her face.

Hilla looked up. "I didn't think I'd have guests this early in the year." She put her phone down and her eyes wandered towards Francis. "Wait a minute, I recognize you." She grinned. "Didn't you pass out multiple times last year after writing those love letters, dear?"

Francis blushed and put his face in his hand. He did not want to be reminded of how much of a neckbeard he was last year, and definitely not in front of Orchid. "Yeah, that…that was me." He mumbled.

Hilla's eyes flicked to Orchid. "It looks like you two are pretty close. Who might you be, hm?" The devious smile never left her face.

Orchid realized that they were still holding hands and flushed commie red again. She violently wriggled her hand out of his and glared at Hilla. "It's not what you're thinking, and it never will be."

Hilla's grin turned into a little smile, enough to convey her doubt regarding Orchid's words. "Of course, dear. Take a seat on the bed over there, I'll come take a look at it in a few." With that, Hilla went back to texting.

Francis frowned. _"Come on now, you're not even busy."_ He turned his head to Orchid to ask her something, but she was already walking towards towards one of the beds. He turned on his heels to follow her.

Orchid hoisted herself up onto the end of the bed, swinging her legs. She knew Francis was coming her direction, so she looked out the window, pretending to pay attention to something outside. She opted out of insulting him due to Hilla's presence in the room, and how her insults and callous attitude simply weren't getting him to go away. She decided to accommodate, and only hoped that he wasn't going to be creepy.

Francis now stood in front of Orchid, a safe distance away from her swinging feet. "Is the knee any better?"

Orchid pursed her lips and looked back at him. Maybe it was worth giving him her time – maybe he wouldn't be terrible this year. "Super. Couldn't be any better." She said, smiling. Although the smile she flashed him almost made him skip a heartbeat, he could still detect the sarcasm in her voice.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course it is. Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

She thought for a bit. She could've sworn she was crazy for letting Francis get so physically close to her, and assured herself that he wouldn't get used to such a privilege. In any case, she scooted over a bit. "Sure, but don't expect a seat next to me to be a given now."

Francis flashed a sunny smile at her, then propped himself on the bed. He looked towards Orchid to see if she was interested in a conversation, but she had resumed looking out the window. He knew it was futile to try and initiate one without irking her, so he decided to lie down on the bed, his head in his hands. They stayed like this for a few minutes, him studying the patterns on the ceiling and her taking in the view from outside.

Orchid sniffed. "Something smells like coffee."

Francis coughed. "That would be me, milady."

She turned towards him, bewildered. "Why do you smell like coffee?"

He laughed sheepishly. "I uh…spilled some on myself this morning. I tried drinking it like it was a shot of alcohol and..."

She smirked and rolled her eyes at him. "Only a dumbass like you would spill coffee like that."

Feigning offense, Francis sat up. "Hey, I'm ridiculously smart. I've basically skipped a grade now, and I'm a pro League player. The last thing I am is a quote-unquote 'dumbass'." He huffed and crossed his arms.

Orchid turned her body towards him, her face saying 'Oh really?'. "Well, maybe you are a quote-unquote 'genius' because for once you had the great idea of not smelling like sweat and garlic and instead smell good."

He smiled. "At long last, you recognize my true genius!" He spoke in a nasally evil-scientist voice. "I think now I'll forego the morning neckbeard face-washing with pizza and Coke, and instead shower with grade-A overpriced coffee, muahahahaha!"

Orchid laughed. It wasn't some scripted laugh or rehearsed reply to a question, but an actual bout of laughter. The sound of genuine laughter actually surprised both her and Francis, and they both froze, stuck in the sudden silence. She wasn't used to hearing herself laugh freely, and Francis wasn't used to her laughing at all.

 _"She has a great laugh. Shame she doesn't laugh more."_ He thought to himself.

"Anyways, what was all that about you being a third year? I thought you were a first year last year, so wouldn't you be second year now?" Orchid asked, actual curiosity in her voice. Snapped out of his trance, Francis put his chin in his hands and stared at the door, thinking on how to respond.

"I'm still a second-year. Class-wise though…a few weeks ago Neinheart emailed me saying there were changes in my classes. Most of my second year classes were swapped out for third-year classes. He said that this happened because they think I wouldn't be challenged enough in second-year classes." He looked back at Orchid. "It's awesome that people finally recognize my genius by the menial tasks of my grade."

Orchid nodded slowly. "I see. I thought Ninny just put you in the third-years just for the hell of it. But about that last part…" She looked up and blew some air out of her mouth. "I wouldn't be so sure."

Francis mock pouted. "And here I thought you recognized my true abilities. I'm wounded, Orchid."

They continued chatting for a small time, talking about what they did over the summer and some other things, such as politics and their take on current events. They were getting quite comfortable talking to each other when suddenly they heard a commotion outside.

"Why can't you just let me be?! All of these students are trying to enjoy having their fortunes read to them and you're just hogging all of the attention!" Francis and Orchid perked up at the sound of yelling outside.

"Was that Cassandra?" Francis asked. Orchid turned back to him and nodded. "Hm. I wonder what that was all about."

"Okay, I'm all finished up here!" Hilla, finally putting her phone down, got up from her desk and picking up a first-aid kit, walked towards the two. "Let's take a look at that knee."

Orchid crossed her arms and muttered, "About time, you old hag."

Francis flinched at Orchid's words. If there was something that Hilla hated being called, it was old. He could've sworn he saw her eyebrow twitch. Regardless, she got on one knee and held Orchid's knee in her hands. "Hmm…alright, let me clean the wound first." She opened the kit and took out some cotton balls and cleaning alcohol, dapped part of the cotton in the alcohol, and started swabbing at Orchid's knee, who slightly winced.

"Alright, that's done." Hilla took a large band-aid and gave it to Orchid. "I trust you know how to put on a band-aid?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a baby."

Hilla nodded. "Really? Then you wouldn't…" She pulled out two lollipops. "…say yes to some free candy?" Francis' eyes lit up, and he started reaching out to one of the lollipops.

Orchid grumbled and held her hand out. Hilla, grinning, placed a lollipop in her hand. "Thank you." She mumbled.

Hilla walked back to her desk while Francis took the wrapper off the lollipop and stuffed it in his mouth, making a euphoric noise while a silly smile grew from ear to ear on his face. Orchid put her face in hand. _"I'm surrounded by idiots."_ She thought. She took the wrapper off the lollipop and stuffed it in her mouth, then peeled off the band-aid's cover and put it on her knee. _"There, all better."_

"Well, I better get going now." Orchid turned to see Francis looking at his phone. "I mean, we got plenty of time before lunch, but I'd just like to get my stuff in my locker ASAP." He adjusted the straps on his backpack put his phone back in his pocket, and jumped off the bed. He turned his head to Orchid. "Do you want to come with me, Orchid?"

She shook her head. "No, I think you've OD'd on my presence for today. Maybe next time." She felt a tinge of sadness when he became crestfallen from her reply. _"Maybe…well, today's been crazy enough, what with me and him doing this. I guess this wouldn't hurt…"_

As Francis reached for the door handle, she called out to him. He looked back, intrigued. "I appreciate all your help earlier, but maybe next time you shouldn't call a girl cute-when-angry in front of her."

Francis saw an Orchid, illuminated by the morning sun, legs swinging, with a grin on her face, who of all people just gave him a thank you. The fact that Orchid almost never smiled around people wasn't lost on him, so he took in the scene as much as he could without turning into a statue. This one image was enough to drive him crazy - those eyes of hers, those deep purple eyes were like oceans to him. This was more than enough of a reminder of why he was so madly in love with her.

He coughed, he had to get out before his heart beat out of his chest. "That…I said that out loud, didn't I?"

She was still beaming. "Mhm."

"Huh…alright, p-point taken. I'll see you later." Without looking back, he quickly opened the door and left. When outside, he leaned against a wall and slid down it.

"Oh my God…" He groaned loudly. _"Okay…okay…wow, did that just happen?"_ He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. _"Yep, that just happened. Count to four…inhale…"_ It took him a good five minutes before his heart rate went back to normal. _"Alright, I think I winged that pretty well. My heart rate held out – katawa heart! – and I held some good conversation with her. I think I could definitely prepare better if I had planned ahead with the doll…"_ He nodded his head vigorously. _"Yeah, the doll will definitely come in handy."_

He got up, flapping his arms and jumping up and down in a counterproductive attempt to calm down. _"Well, I better head to my locker now."_ He headed to the stairwell and started walking downstairs to the second floor.

* * *

When Francis was on the flight of stairs between the third and second, he heard someone coming up the stairs. _"White dress shirt, black hair…wait."_

"Kino?"

Kinesis looked up, a satisfied look on his face. "Oh, hey Francis."

"Hey. What's going on with you?"

"It's a long story, but…for now, let's say I put on a popular show out there for the party. That is, until I had to get a tour by that guy called…" Kinesis looked down, thinking, and then looked back up. "Neinheart, that's his name."

Francis looked behind him. "Isn't he supposed to be with you?"

Kinesis shrugged. "He said 'meet him on the third floor, and set up my locker'. He said he had to take care of some chick hanging out with the first-years. Pretty vague description, if you ask me. What's happening with you?"

Francis stuck his hands in his pockets and breathed out, looking up. "Ooooh boy, that's a long story too. Let's just say for now I think I might have a shot with a girl."

Kinesis raised his eyebrows. "That sounds awesome. Find me at lunch, and we can talk all about it, huh?" He stuck his fist out for a fistbump.

Francis fistbumped. "Of course. Take care with the tour man."

"I will. See you at lunch." The two friends parted ways, and Francis reached his locker on the second floor. As he began furnishing his locker, he couldn't help but smile.

 _"I do think I have a chance now."_

* * *

" Cassandra: No kidding? This really happened?"

" Orchid: Yeah! This guy was a total douche, who tf does he think he is?! D:"

Looking at her phone, Orchid couldn't help but chuckle. She had seen Cassandra ugly from time to time, and every time her expressions always brought a smile to her face. Even through text she could imagine Cassandra's high-pitched, anger-filled squeaks. One could swear that when she got angry, it was a giant mouse that was having a fit.

She looked up from her phone and out the nurse's window. It had been a…surprisingly good but weird day so far, with few hitches other than her scraped knee. She replayed the events of the day so far in her head: she had examined Francis more times than she was comfortable with, she had some banter with him, and she…held his hand. She shuddered. If today was an indication of the near future, was this whole year going to be some sort of prank that God was playing on her? All she could do now was hope that he didn't think he had a new chance at getting her, and if he did she was sure she would insult him back to the Stone Age.

Still, it was nice to have company, even though said company was extremely weird and nerdy, and funny when she saw how flustered he got when she teased him when he left.

Orchid, even though the idea seemed completely crazy to her, was open to the possibility of seeing Francis again.

At least he was someone she could find comfort in when she needed to.


End file.
